IV. Stylistic Functions of Words Having No Lexico-Stylistic Paradigm

To this group we refer terms, nomenclature words, historic words, exotic words and lexical neologisms.

Terms are words and word combinations expressing scientific notions, in which essential properties of the object are reflected.

Terms are generally associated with a definite branch of science and therefore with a series of other terms belonging to that particular branch of science. (for example, terms “language” and “speech” may be used as synonyms in everyday usage, but in linguistics they are differentiated).

Nomenclature words are very close to terms, they refer to a definite branch of human activity, more often professional, e.g. names of minerals, chemical elements, types of cars.

Historic words denote notions referring to the past; the notions do not exist nowadays.

Exotic words denote notions and objects unknown and rarely met in objective reality of the given speaking community.

Lexical neologisms are new (or old) words denoting new notions.

All above mentioned words being used in special texts have no stylistic function – their usage is determined by their nominative function – to define the object. In fiction they may acquire stylistic meaning due to their syntagmatic relations with the words having stylistic colouring and with neutral words. In such novels as “Live with Lightning”, “Say No to Death”, “The Citadel”, “Airport”, “Money-changers” terms, nomenclature words are used to create the true-to-life atmosphere of a laboratory, hospital, bank and so on.

When used in direct speech of personages terms become a means of their speech characteristics. Sometimes terms may be used to create a satirical or humoristic effect.

V. Stylistic Functions of Phraseology

The question of phraseological units (Ph.U.) status is very complicated. There are many phraseological units which are not connected with some certain sphere of speech communication and have no stylistic meaning: e.g. point of view; come to the point; in position; without result. They form the group of Ph.U. which are stylistically neutral. To this group we should also refer historical Ph.U.: Black Prince - “чёрный принц”, the son of the king – Edward III was called so, because of the black…, armour which he wore; the Black Belt – “чёрная зона”, the southern regions of the US, where the Negro population predominates.

Dust Bowl – “пыльные районы”, the names of some droughty regions in the west of the USA.

Lexical neologisms: energy crisis, SALT negotiations; oil crisis.

Terminological Ph.U.: deep and surface structure; 3d person singular; Present Perfect Continuous, etc.

Additional (connotative) information of a Ph.U. as well as additional information of a word may be of 4 types: functional-stylistic, emotional, evaluative, expressive-figurative.

Phraseological units, like words, may be divided into 2 large classes: Ph.U. having lexico-stylistic paradigm and Ph.U. having no lexico-stylistic paradigm.

Semantic characteristics of these classes are similar to those of the words having and having no lexico-stylistic paradigm. Ph.U. having lexico-stylistic paradigm like the words of this class may be divided into Ph.U. of high-flown style and Ph.U. of low-flown style.